Road to Rio: Shaqiri ready to shine for Swiss

Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its "32 teams in 32 days" series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.

After a 30 year managerial career, the “General” has decided to call it quits. Ottmar Hitzfeld announced his plans to retire following the conclusion of Switzerland’s participation at the 2014 World Cup – the second successive qualification earned during his tenure. Will his decision to depart undermine the team’s performance in Brazil? It’s doubtful. Hitzfeld has done a tremendous job since taking over in the summer of 2008 when Switzerland was 48th in the FIFA rankings. Five years on, the Swiss cracked the top ten and currently hold their best position (seventh). Not to take anything away from this unbelievable accomplishment, it should be mentioned that Switzerland was lucky enough to be drawn into arguably one of the weakest groups in UEFA qualifying (Iceland, Slovenia, Norway, Albania & Cyprus).

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How they got here: A gruelling two year qualification process was a mere walk in the park for Hitzfeld’s side. The Swiss steamrolled through their opponents and finished with an undefeated record (seven wins, three draws) in Group E, scoring 17 goals and only conceding six.

Key result: Victory over Slovenia (1-0) in Bern confirmed Switzerland will be seeded for the World Cup draw in December. With qualification already secured heading into their final fixture, Granit Xhaka’s late goal provided a joyful bonus to an already highly successful qualification campaign, helping the Swiss avoid some of the stronger nations in Brazil.

Star player: Once a young and inexperienced rising star within Switzerland’s youth set-up, Xherdan Shaqiri has developed into quite the footballer since joining Bayern Munich from FC Basel two years ago. His versatility and creativeness in the midfield is the driving force behind Hitzfeld’s offence. Having made his World Cup debut as an 18 year-old in South Africa (2010), Shaqiri is poised for a much bigger role in Brazil.

Player on the bubble: Depending on if he can remain healthy and retain his place in Fulham’s starting eleven — having spent the majority of the last two seasons with the reserve squad at Craven Cottage – Pajtim Kasami could potentially earn a seat on the plane headed to Rio this summer, especially if he continues the form that saw him score an incredible volley against Crystal Palace that is a strong candidate for goal of the year.

Team strengths: Depth in midfield is the ultimate weapon of choice, giving Hitzfeld a wonderful collection of defensive and offensive specialists to choose from depending on their opponents. Youthful exuberance (Granit Xhaka and Valentin Stocker) and rugged experience (Tranquillo Barnetta and Gokhan Inler) provides a good mix of quality that has Switzerland labelled as dark-horses in some football circles.

What they have to work on: Complacency. The Swiss can’t buy into their own hype and FIFA ranking. Confidence in the camp has never been better, and for good reason given their seeded status. However, the job isn’t complete, and there is plenty of room for growth. The opposition will be much stronger and the room for error significantly decreases. Accomplishments in qualifying mean little, as the slate is wiped clean this summer.

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